Signaling device



j. A. WERTZ.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATiO FILED IAN. 19, 1916.

l 95 ,757 Patented Aug 2 2, 19161 y the character referred to which comprises a JOHN A. WERTZ, OF CANTON, OHIO.

SIGNA'LING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2v2, 1916.

Application filed January 19, 1916. Serial No. 72,955.

To aZZ wtom t may concern Be it known that l, JOHN WERTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Sigmaling Device, of which the following 1s a specification.

The present invention relates to signaling devices and has more especial reference to ay device adapted to be located at dangerous points along a roadway or at intersections or cross roads or railway crossings and vis adapted to catch the rays of light from an automobile headlight or from the headlight of a steam train or electric train or car'and reflect said rays of light back to the operator of the vehicle or to the operator, of an approaching vehicle coming from another direction, means beingprovided within the device for coloring the reflected rays.

The object of the present invention is to provide a signal device of the character referred to which will reflect the rays of light from the headlight of an approaching vehicle back to the operator or to the operator of another vehicle approaching from another direction, means being provided for changing the color of the reflected rays.

A further object is to provide a device of transparent member and reflector or series of such, a. coloring matter placed in frontl of each reflector and means for adjusting the reflector at different angles to each other.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described,

'illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same, parts CII and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit 0r sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a front elevation of the signaling device showing one arrangement kof the reflectors.

being broken away for the purpose of illustration. Fig. 3 isa vertical sectional view through one of the reflectors and the adjacent parts. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section -of the upper portion of a modified form of reflector and transparent member. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of reflectors and transparent members to be located at a dangerous spot on a slight turn in a road. Fig. 6 is a similar view of a hair pin or horseshoe bend in a road. Fig. 7 is a similar View showing the position of the device with reference to an intersecting road. Fig. 8 shows the loca'- tion of the device at a cross road.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout ures of the drawings.

The device comprises a metal boX 1 preferably formed of heavy sheet material, open upon one side and provided upon its lower face with a suitable casting 2 provided with a socket 3 preferably screw threaded for the purpose of receiving the upper extremity of a post 4, said post beiganchored in the ground at a suitable location 1beside the road. A series of reflectors and transparent members are adjustably securedwithin the box at suitable angles to each other and focused to theroad to catch the rays of light of a headlight of an approaching vehicle and reflect said rays as will be hereinafter described, a transparent coloring matter being provided upon the back of the transparent member for the purpose of changing the color of the reflected rays of light.

Each of the reflectors is made up as best shown in-Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawings and comprises a sheet metal sash or frame 5 formed as best shown in Fig. 3, said frame being-tapered from top to bottom and provided around its edge with an inwardly disposed rib 6, the edges of the material being turned inwardly at 7 and 8 forming with the rib a pair of rectangular pockets adapted to receive the transparent member 9 and the reflector l0 respectively. A sheet of rubber or similar material 1l is placed around the inner face of the sash and coated with aheavy solution of silicate of soda or substitutes, for the purpose of hermetically sealing the tapered pocket 12, which is formed between the transparent member and reflector. The pocket l2 is filled with a liquid preferably a chemical sensitive to light or where a milder reflection is desired anysuitable colored transparent fluid may be used or in case of a very mild or short focus signal being desired the transparent member may be of colored glass or colored back as hereinbefore described.

all the fig- The sashes are-provided at their lower ex? treinties with brackets 13, said brackets being preferably of angular form and pro,

' vided with elongated slots 14 through which screws l5 or theirequivalents may be passed, said screws engaging the 'bottom wall. 16 of the'box'l. Brackets 17 are provided at the upper extremities of the frames, each of said brackets being provided with an in- 1. ternally screw threaded socket 18 vadapted to receive the screw threaded stem 19, said.

stem being providedgwithLa-plain portion, which is rotatablylocated through'an aperture 20in the block 21, each of said blocksbeing connected to the top wall 22 of the .box l as shown. .A shoulder 2 3is provided upon the screw threaded stem19 at one vside of the block 21 and a slottedA head 24 is provided upon said stem at the other side of said block. As the brackets 13 and 17 are both `of spring material the rotation of thel screw threaded stems 19 will'permit of an angular adjustment of the sashes.'M

-In Fig. 4 is shown a modified form of con- 25 struction of reflector. In this modified form the sash 25 is of the form shown in cross section in Fig. 4 and the reflector proper comprises the colored plate glass 26 provided uponits back with a suitable coating of any .30 common transparent colored material adapt- 'p ed to change the rays of light before reaching the reiector. A suitable cement such as the silicate of soda above referred vto is located at 28 in order to rmly fasten'the glass a5 and reflector within the sash. The object of the chemical pocket 12 being tapered is to causethe strength of the reflected rays ofv coloredlight to be at their greatest while the approaching light is at its farthest focal 40 distance away. `This result-.is'obtained by locating the wider ortion' of the'A reflector above the horizonta line through the headv.lights of the average vehicle the absorp'tive capacity (of -the reflector being graduated, decreasing downwardly. The pur ose of this construction is to provide a re ector, the

upper or lwider portion of which will first catch the light rays fromvan approaching vehicle, the `reflected rays of colored" light being the strongest at the point whereA the approaching-vehicle first receives the re.

flected rays from the reflector, the ointvof reflection upon the reflector gradua ly'movlng downwardly upon-saidfrelector as the vehicle approaches. l Some ofthe practical applications of the 'device are shownin Figs' to 8 inclusive;

In Fig. 5'is shown a device with the -rel iectr's-arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 1 8b and Eso placed at a slight turn in the road that the headllghts of` a vehicle approaching from' the direction indicated by the arrow would throw a-ray of light upon the signal, -1

said signal returning a colored ray of light vG5 back to the occupants of the` approaching vehicles approaching from-the other road.

lprovided around the edges of said sash, a

. flector C.

Fig. 6 shows another adustment of the yreflectors in a devicev such asfillustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 5. In this figure-the device 80 is arranged to be placed at a hair pin or horseshoe turn in'r the road and the reflectors are so adjusted that the light rays from a vehicle approaching from either direction will be transformed into colored rays and reflected to a vehicle approachingfrom the opposite direction.

In Fig. 7 is illustrated the application of what might be termed a three-way signaling device, the reflectors being so arrangedA at a point where one road intersects another that vehicles approaching the .intersection upon either road will reflect a red light, back toP Fig. 8 shows a duplication of'the device 95 shown in Fig. 7 adapted to be located' at a cross road in-order to reflect a colored light in either direction along either road.

.I claim: r v 1. A signaling device comprising a sash, a reflector carried within said sash, a transparent member carried-in said -sash and v spaced from said reiector forming a` pocket between said reflector and said transparent member anda colored or sensitive liquid located within'said pocket.

2.. A signaling device comprising a met-al sash. provided with an inwardly disposed rib, intermediate 'the/ edges. land parallel ytherewith; inwardly disposed iianges being l provided around 'the edges of said sash, a

sheet of rubber or similar material being lo cated around the inner surface of said sash, said rubber being coated with acement impervious to chemicals, a reflector located within said sash between said rib and one of said flanges, a lens locatedbetween said frib and the 'other of said anges and a-trans parent coloredmaterial or sensitive chemical located between said reflector and-said lens.' 3. A signaling .device comprising a metal sash provided with an inwardly disposed rib, intermediate the edges and paralleltherewith, inwardly disposed flanges being sheetl of rubber or similarv material being lo cated around the inner urface of said sash, said rubber being coateduvith a cement in'1- pervious sto chemicals, a reflector located within said sash between said rib and one/13k of said flanges, a. lens located between said rib and the other of said flanges and a colored liquid or sensitive chemical located between said reflector and said lens.

4. A signaling device comprising a sash, a reflector carried Within said sash, a transparent member carried within said sash and spaced from said reflector and a transparent colored material or sensitive chemical located between said reflector and said lens.

5. A signaling device comprising a plurality of sashes, a rellector carried in each sash, a transparent member carried in each sash and spaced from said reflector forming a pocket between said reflector and said transparent member, a colored liquid located within said pocket and means for providing anticlinal, radial and horizontal adjustment of said sashes.

6. A signaling device comprising a plurality of sashes, each of said sashes comprising a reflector and a transparent coloredv material located in front of said reflector, said sashes located at angles to each other and means Jfor anticlinal, radial and horizontal adjustment of said sashes.

7. A signaling device comprising a sash, a reflector carried within said sash, a transparent member carried in said sash and spaced from said reflector, said reflector and transparent member converging toward their lower ends forming a downwardly tapered pocket between the reflector and transparent member and a colored liquid located Within said pocket.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JOHN A. vWERTZ. 

